Sunday, 19 May 2013

Paul & Joe Beach Baby Lip & Eye Duo: Review & Swatches

What’s impressed me most about my recent foray into Paul & Joe Beauté is that the brand is not just a pretty face. The packaging and presentation is as gorgeously girly as it gets, yet I’ve been just as wowed at how the products perform. Here’s my low down on the Lip & Eye Duos, also part of the Summer 2013 Beach Baby collection…

Eye Gloss & Lip Gloss Duos in Monaco, Santa Monica & Nice

Eye Gloss: First up, if the thought of an eye gloss scares the pants off you, fear not; these apply like a gloss but perform and set like a cream shadow - ie they don’t stay wet and sticky on your eye. At the same time, lovers of that look may be disappointed. In terms of texture, these remind me a bit of Clinique lid smoothies and although they can be built up, for me they work best as a wash of shimmery colour over the lid. Very quick and easy to apply, they are great for an every day wash of colour, particularly Santa Monica, the middle shade above.

Lip Gloss: In all honesty I don’t get wildly excited about lip gloss and think most are much of a muchness. The time I do tend to whip them out is in Summer, when I like a bit of gloss and glow about my face. My favourite of these three - no surprises - is the one with a bit of colour, Nice. It’s a lovely watermelon shade for a subtle pop of colour. Santa Monica (middle) is also very pretty, a pale pink shot with gold, though I don’t tend to reach for Monaco (top), a milky, barely there colour which would probably work best over a nude lipstick. Shame really as its matching Eye Gloss is the most gorgeous old gold shade.

Before I talk you through the eye pencils, here are some swatches…

Swatches

I really struggled to capture the eye colours accurately; they are actually a touch more pigmented, shimmery and interesting in real life.

Nice Eyes - close up this is a mix of twinkling pink, blue and silver and reminds me of the inside of a shell. Appears lilac from a distance. Lips - a sheer, bright watermelon pink.

Wear time is great for the eye gloss and about an hour for the lips. Because the eye gloss sets, it works well both under powder as a base or over for a wash of subtle shimmer. I tend to apply a dot and just blend it out with a finger.

Eye Liner and Eye Crayon Duo in Fiji & St Tropez

Lid and liner colour in one pencil is a great idea and while I love these soft tones, they do come in beautiful brights too. The fine point means that I’m unlikely to use these for all over lid colour and tend to use them as a broad liner on top with the liner shade on the lower lash line or water line.

Both eye crayons have a sheen and are of course softer in texture than the liners, though not overly soft. They can be blended out and don’t tend to set, so require a primer to avoid creasing if used all over the lid.

Fiji is a dusky pink eye crayon with a mid brown liner. I was hoping the liner would be cooler toned, but it does have a bit of warmth.

St Tropez is a light golden brown with the most perfect nude liner, which totally saved my morning after rims this weekend. Not too pinky or peachy, just slightly deeper than my natural skin tone.

I’m all for multi tasking products that taking up less space in my make-up bag and mean carrying less items - and of course both of these products are genius for travel, an evening clutch or on-the-go touch ups.

Paul & Joe Eye Gloss & Lip Gloss Duos*, £28 and Eye Liner & Eye Crayon Duos*, £22 are available at Harrods, Selfridges and Fenwick now and from 1st June at beautybay.com